Invincible Ones [A Walking Dead Story]

Chapter 39- Traitor

According to Joanna, it is Saturday. Which means she also had reminded me of the archery lessons this morning.

And NO!--I did not forget that I had to teach today! I just...thought it was Tuesday.

Well, Joanna woke me up today already fully dressed, thinking I'd wake up at some point.

And I didn't.

So she finally woke me up when I had about three minutes to get ready.

Great, it's like my mom on schooldays when I didn't have my alarm set pre-apocalypse.

I find jeans, a blue flannel (it is wrinkled-looking, but screw it, beggars can't be choosers), and my hiking boots. Oh, and I also find my knife sheath and attach it to my waistband. I don't have a gun unless I have an outside expedition or am on wall-duty (which I am not assigned to because there is now a full staff).

I grab my new, perfectly weighted bow, knowing there will be arrows at the lessons.

I book it to the courtyard where lessons take place.

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When I exit the annex (from library to average-sized high school that goes through our walled-in courtyard) through a makeshift door, the conveniently-named man, Hunter, has already gotten everyone started.

Everyone is shooting and getting their arrows somewhat on their targets. Hunter nods to me and I smile sheepishly. Sorry for being late.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Nat's friend calls out. And I roll my eyes. I still don't know what his name is.

Nat turns around, looks at me unreadably, then turns back to his target.

I walk up to the bow rack and lay my hunting bow against it, ready to do the check-up rounds.

Aviva is excelling greatly. And so is Nat! He's really channeling his focus into his archery.

I stop at Aviva. "Hey, nice job." She not missed much (only once an arrow went errant) or placed an arrow in the white or black sections. "Isn't this your second lesson?"

"Well, I practice outside of this class." Aviva shrugs, not shooting until her sentence is finished. She prolongs her stance and the arrow is lodged into the red section on the lower part of the target. "I should've aimed higher..." She mumbles.

A corner of my mouth turns up lopsidedly. "Hey, you really did your homework."

"Books. I read a lot of them. And I learn from them." She explains and I slowly nod, impressed. I'd find it hard to study archery instead of learning it through pure practice and lessons.

"Nice. I like your hair today, too." I say before moving to go to the next person down the line--Joanna.

"Thanks, Edith got bored this morning." Aviva says. "I wouldn't have let her touch my hair if it weren't for that analyzation you gave me." She smiles weakly. Her hair is in a knot in the back of her heat. It's neatly twisted, purposefully not including some stray tendrils of brown hair. I'm impressed with Edith. If I cared for vanity, I'd actually have her make do with my chopped-off hair.

I see Joanna doing well as well (see what I did there? No, well...that's okay...). She overheard Aviva's suggestions, and she aims higher now and hits her target every time. One or two had landed in the white section, however, it is way better than nothing.